


Game On

by General_Disarray



Category: South Park
Genre: Alternate Universe, High School, M/M, Moving, Slow Burn, Smut, guys I did it I wrote smut, idk how to tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:54:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22602793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/General_Disarray/pseuds/General_Disarray
Summary: At the end of 8th grade, Kyle's parents decide to move to California until further notice. But when Kyle moves back unexpectedly at the beginning of senior year, things are a little different. Stan's not really sure what to make of all this. And why is Kenny acting so weird?Aka Kyle moves back from California with a brand new look as Stan fights with brand new surfacing feelings.
Relationships: Kyle Broflovski/Stan Marsh
Comments: 17
Kudos: 127





	1. Chapter 1

On the last day of 8th grade, Kyle’s parents decided it was time for a change.

Fed up with South Park and all its antics, Sheila and Gerald made the decision to move back to San Francisco indefinitely, where things seemed to be somewhat less crazy. No one had a say in the matter, especially with Sheila’s mind already made up. Kyle’s stuff was already boxed up and ready to go by the time he got home from school that day, and without another look back, the Broflovski’s packed up their things and headed to the west coast.

“I’m so sorry guys.” Kyle groans over the phone while on Facetime with Stan and Kenny during the hours long drive to his new home. “I didn’t even get to say goodbye. It’s like my parents are determined to make my life fucking miserable.”

“Kyle, watch your language!” Sheila shouts from somewhere in the background.

“Did they say how long you’d be staying?” Kenny questions.

“Fuckin’ forever probably.”

“Kyle! What did your mother just say? One more time and I’m taking your phone.” Gerald warns from the front seat. Kyle huffs as Ike stifles a giggle.

“I mean yeah it sucks, but shit happens dude.” Stan replies, an unsettling feeling creeping up in his stomach. “Guess me and Kenny are just gonna have to come visit you in California every weekend.” He jokes.

“Whatever you do just don’t bring Cartman.” Kyle snorts, obviously not in the mood for jokes.

“Fuck off Kahl!” Cartman yells, appearing out of nowhere and grabbing the phone from Stan. “Like I wanna spend time with your Jew ass anyway.”

“Cartman don’t touch my fucking phone.” Stan retorts, and suddenly all Kyle sees is a blur of color as the two fight for dominance over who gets to hold Stan’s iPhone.

“Where the hell did you even come from?” He hears Kenny ask in the background.

Kyle chuckles, sighing when he realizes how much he’s going to miss these three idiots that he calls his friends. But Stan’s right, there will always be visits, and it’s not like their friendship would ever die out or anything.

But as they entered high school, they got busy. Far busier than any of them had expected. Stan with football, Kyle with school, and Kenny with… well whatever it was that Kenny did during the day. Although Kyle tried to keep in touch with his friends as frequently as possible, it got difficult. Seeing everyone on Facetime every day turned to once a week, which eventually turned to group texts sporadically whenever one of them was free.

“I really miss you guys, dude.” Kyle mumbles, his head shoved into his pillow as he talks to Stan and Kenny over speaker phone during the middle of freshman year. “I feel like I haven’t seen you guys in forever. California fucking sucks.”

“Listen, me and Kenny are working on saving up to come visit during the summer. It might take a while though. Hang in there dude.” Stan tries to comfort his long-distance best friend. All Kyle can do is grunt in response.

Weeks turn to months, and months turn to years. Before they realized it, it was the summer of their senior year. And although the boys kept in touch since Kyle first left, it had been a long time since they had seen each other in person.

One week before the beginning of the school year, Kyle sent a text to the group chat. It was short and sweet, and extremely vague.

_I think I have some good news. Not 100% set in stone though… I’ll update you guys when I know for sure._

And although Stan and Kenny tried to pry more information out of him, Kyle’s lips were sealed.

The night before school started back up, Stan and Kenny tried to Facetime Kyle, who didn’t pick up.

“Weird.” Stan comments. “He usually always picks up.”

Kenny shrugs. “Maybe he’s busy? Who knows.”

No one heard from Kyle for the next few days. They chalked it up to a busy beginning of the school year.

That is until the fourth day of school, when without warning and without notice, Kyle moved back to South Park.  
  
  


***

Attempting to waste time before their last period of the day, Stan, Kenny, and Cartman are standing by their lockers talking. As the boys are waiting, discussing potential plans for the upcoming weekend, they hear a sound in the distance.  
  
“Fellas, fellas!” Someone shouts through the crowd of students switching classes.  
  
Looking down the hall, they watch as Butters runs towards them, weaving through students while attempting to avoid bumping into anyone as much as possible. When he finally catches up to them, he’s slightly out of breath and seemingly very excited.  
  
“Butters, why in the hell are you yelling?” Cartman asks. “We could hear you all the way across the fucking building.”

  
“What’s up buttercup?” Kenny asks, sliding and arm around Butters’ shoulders, ignoring Cartman completely.

  
“Did you hear the news? You fellas are never gonna believe this. Kyle’s back!”

  
“Kyle?” Stan repeats, suddenly more alert than he was 5 seconds ago.

  
“Broflovski? I thought he was still in California?” Kenny asks, eyebrow raised.

  
“Token said Clyde said Bebe said she saw him outside his old house moving his stuff back in! Just this mornin’, can you believe it!?”

  
“Butters goddammit.” Cartman mumbles, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Everyone knows you can’t trust Token. Or Clyde. Or that stupid skank Bebe.”

  
“Shut the hell up Cartman.” Stan rolls his eyes. “You’re just bitter because Bebe wouldn’t suck your dick last year.”

  
“Like I fucking care!” Cartman throws his arms up. “I never wanted her dirty mouth on my dick in the first place. Everyone knows a woman’s mouth is the most germ ridden place on Earth!”

“Yeah you’re totally giving off an ‘I don’t care’ kinda vibe right now.” Kenny smirks.

  
“Butters, are you sure? You’re positive it was Kyle?” Stan presses, bringing the conversation back on track.

  
“Well sure!” Butters starts to twiddle his thumbs together. “At least I think so...”

  
Stan and Kenny share a glance, as Kenny says “Only one way to find out. Ditch?”  
  


“Hell yeah! I’ll drive.” Stan says, opening up his locker and grabbing his backpack.  
  


“Fuck you guys, I’m coming too. If that sneaky rat thinks he can move back into my wholesome Jew free town-”

  
“No one invited you fatass.” Stan says, cutting Cartman off and grabbing his keys.

  
“I’m ignoring that Stanley. I call shotgun!”  
  


“Not a chance.”

  
“Oh hamburgers, you fellas aren’t gonna skip last period are ya? Well, what if ya get in trouble?”

  
Kenny simply shrugs. “Just tell everyone we had violent diarrhea or something. Honestly, I don’t really care. Thanks for the tip though buttercup.” With a wink, Kenny follows Stan and Cartman out the door and to the car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I'm really not sure where this fic is going, but I'm having a fun time screwing around with it. Updates will probably be random. 
> 
> Feedback is much appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

Stan drives, a little faster than usual, to Kyle’s house. He knows the route by heart, and he’s barely paying attention as he bombards Kenny and Cartman with questions the whole way there.  
  


“Why do you think Kyle didn’t tell us he moved back? Do you think he’s actually back for good? We haven’t seen him in years dude, do you think he changed at all?”  
  


“Marsh, you sure got a lot of questions. I’d say someone’s excited.” Kenny wiggles his eyebrows up and down.  
  


Stan glares back. “Whatever dude. Like you aren’t curious too.”  
  


“This sucks balls you guys. I was so close to making it the rest of my life without never having to see that goddamn daywalker again.” Cartman grumbles.  
  


“Well the good news is no one fucking invited you to come in the first place. Feel free to roll out of the car and into traffic whenever.” Stan replies. Cartman shuts up for the rest of the ride, mumbling under his breath every so often. Stan catches the word ‘hippie’ at least twice.  
  


When they pull up to Kyle’s old house, Stan slams on the breaks. Lo and behold, parked outside is a moving truck. And carrying boxes inside the house is...  
  


“IKE!”  
  


Stan and Kenny run from the car, Cartman trailing behind. Almost tackling Ike, Stan and Kenny squish him into a hug. Somewhere in the background they hear Cartman shout “Gay!”  
  


Pulling away, Ike laughs. “Holy shit, I haven’t seen you guys in ages.” He says.  
  


“Ike! Oh my god look at you! You’re like... grown up.” Stan smiles. He can’t seem to stop smiling.  
  


Kenny ruffles Ike’s hair, grinning ear to ear as well. “Shit I feel old. You’re like a little grown adult now. When did you guys get back?”  
  


“Turns out you age over the time span of a few years. Go figure. We got back this morning, like 3 hours ago.”  
  


“Why didn’t anybody tell us you guys were moving back?” Stan asks while looking around, eager to find Kyle.  
  


Ike shrugs. “It just sort of happened. One morning my parents woke up and decided ‘Hey, let’s confuse Ike and Kyle even more by moving back to South Park.’ So here we are. This works for me though, California sucks dick.”  
  


“Bet that’s not the only thing sucking dick around here.” Cartman mumbles, causing Kenny to punch him in the arm.  
  


“Kyle’s upstairs unpacking stuff in his room if you guys wanna head up. He might be a little busy tho-”  
  


But before Ike can finish his sentence, Stan is already through the front door and heading up the steps.  
  


“Welcome back Mister and Misses B!” Kenny calls out as he and Cartman follow close behind.  
  


“Oh boys, it’s so lovely to see you again!” Sheila starts, but is unable to say anymore as the three are already up the steps and heading straight to Kyle’s room.  
  


Kyle’s door is cracked open, and the sound of music is vibrating off the walls and drifting down the hall.  
  


Stan’s doing some sort of fast paced walk, the closest he can get to running without actually running. When he gets to Kyle’s room, he pushes the door wide open. Inside, Kyle’s unpacking boxes and listening to music as he attempts to put his room back together. With his back facing the door, the first thing Stan sees is his hair; the same red afro that he’s always been so familiar with ever since they were kids. But it looks different now than it did in the past. Buzzed short on the sides but long and curly on the top, Stan is transfixed. He doesn’t believe his eyes.  
  


Holy shit, it’s been so long.  
  


The second thing Stan sees is Kenny, barreling full speed towards Kyle while screaming “KYLE FUCKIN’ BROFLOVSK!” and tackling him to the ground.  
  


“Oh my god!” Kyle laughs, taking a second to process what just happened. “Kenny? Where the fuck did you come from!? I didn’t even hear you come in.”  
  


When he gets up off the floor, he finally spots Stan, frozen in the doorway.  
  


Kyle looks different. Way different. Years in the California sun has given him a slight tan that seems to have brought out the freckles on his face, lightly spread across the bridge of his nose and on his cheeks. Finally sporting a haircut that suits him perfectly, with a lopsided smile that makes Stan’s heart stop beating for a second. He’s wearing ripped jeans and a black shirt with a fading logo on the back. He looks good. Really good.  
  


“Stan? Holy shit!” Kyle’s eyes, greener than Stan remembers, look like they’re about to pop out of his head. Stan doesn’t think he looks much different from when Kyle first left, but it _has_ been a while since they’ve seen each other. “Jesus Christ look at you!”  
  


Realizing that he isn’t actually frozen in place, Stan rushes over and crushes his best friend as close to him as possible. “Oh my god dude. I missed you so much.” Kyle smells good, like sunblock with a hint of something else Stan can’t quite place.  
  


“Did we come here just to suck Kyle’s dick or what?” Cartman chimes in, stepping into the room and ruining what could have been a very sweet reunion.  
  


“Oh shit! Cartman. I must be fucking crazy if I missed seeing your fatass.” Kyle says, letting go of Stan and turning down the volume of the music through his phone. He runs his fingers through his hair unconsciously, which has Stan transfixed all over again.  
  


“That makes one of us Jew.”  
  


“And just like that the feelings gone! What are you guys doing here anyway? Shouldn’t you be like, in school or something?”  
  


“What are _we_ doing here? What are _you_ doing here?” Stan laughs, still unable to believe his eyes.  
  


Kyle shrugs. “It’s fuckin’ weird dude. One minute things are fine, and the next my dad is freaking out over California property tax or some shit. Claims they’re trying to take all his money or something. He said something like ‘This would never happen in South Park.’ Next thing I know our house is for sale and we’re moving back. I didn’t want to tell you guys until it was a for sure thing.”  
  


Cartman snorts. “Spoken like a true Jew. Gotta have as much money as your grubby little hands can get ahold of, huh?”  
  


“Fuck off Cartman.” Stan warns. “Can you just be a decent human being for like, two minutes? Would it kill you?”  
  


“You know Stan, it just might.”  
  


“Oh my god, I missed you assholes so much.” Kyle laughs, causing Stan to stare again.  
  


“Damn Broflovski, California did you good. The girls are gonna be all over you at school.” Kenny nudges Kyle’s shoulder.  
  


Kyle blushes, rubbing the back of his neck. “Uh, thanks I guess?”  
  


“And hey, if you ever want to try an alternative route, I’m always available. Just a suggestion.” Kenny winks, causing Kyle’s blush to deepen.

“Hey Kenny, maybe if you get on your knees you can suck the farts out of Kyle’s ass a little better.” Cartman suggests.  
  


“I’m always down for a good time.” Kenny replies, causing Cartman to gag.  
  


“Okay so what are we doing tonight? What’s the plan?” Stan asks, ignoring the visual of Kyle and Kenny doing anything behind closed doors. Absolutely fucking not.

“Plan?” Kyle’s head tilts.

“Duh, Broflovski. You’ve been gone for like…” Kenny counts on his fingers, “…four years. We’re hanging out tonight.”

“Yeah dude. Your pick. Whatever it is, it’s on us.” Stan smiles.

Kyle makes eye contact with Stan as he talks, and suddenly Stan is blushing, wanting to look away but also wanting to continue starting at Kyle forever. He feels hypnotized. What the fuck is going on?

Cartman clears his throat, snapping them both back to reality. “Do you two need us to fucking leave or something?”

“Sorry.” Kyle’s face matches Stan’s. “Let me think…um, why don’t we-”

“Bubbie! Your father needs help moving boxes. Come down here and help your parents.” Sheila interrupts, shouting from the living room.

“Oh my fucking god.” Kyle whispers, closing his eyes in an attempt to calm down. “She’s driving me insane.” He runs his fingers through his hair again, sighing. “I might be busy here for a while. We might have to postpone until tomorrow.”

“Fine,” Kenny shrugs, “But you aren’t getting out of this. You’re officially suck with us now Broflovski.”

“Ah shit, I guess so.” Kyle laughs, flashing another miraculous smile. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow at school, okay?”

“If you need anything dude just text me. I’m like, right up the street.” Stan offers.

“Thanks dude. I appreciate it.” Kyle looks at Stan. Suddenly they’re both blushing again.

“Have fun unpacking and shit!” Kenny calls, pushing Stan out the door and down the hall.

“Later Jew.” Cartman nods, following them out.

When they get back to Stan’s car, Kenny breaks the silence first. “Fuck, Kyle’s hot.”

“He’s… he looks good.” Stan agrees, nodding. “Really good. It’s crazy seeing him again.”

“Five bucks says he takes it up the ass now.” Cartman says.

“You get that vibe from Kyle?” Stan questions, “I don’t know…”

“Only one way to find out.” Kenny mutters.

And as Stan starts the car and heads towards Cartman’s house to drop him off, Kenny’s words echo in his head.

Only one way to find out.


	3. Chapter 3

Stan would be lying if he said he didn’t get excited when he saw a text from Kyle waiting on his phone later that night. It read:

_Dude!!! It’s crazy I’m back in South Park. Surreal. I’m glad I got to see you guys today._

Stan’s heartbeat picks up a little. He smiles, and types to Kyle:

_i know dude! its been too long._

Kyle’s response is immediate:

_Totally. I’m a little nervous about school tomorrow though… I haven’t seen everyone in ages._

Seizing the opportunity, Stan types back:

_dont stress about it. why dont i pick you up tomorrow morning? i can like show you around the high school and shit lol_

Another immediate response:

_Oh my god yes please. Spare me from having to drive with my mother._

Stan chuckles under his breath, thinking about Kyle being stuck in the car with his mom for any extended period of time. He types back:

_anything for you sweetheart <3 ill be there around 7_

Was that over the line? Is Kyle going to think he’s serious? Just as Stan goes to type an excuse, he gets a reply:

_My hero <3 Whatever would I do without you Stanley? I’ll see you tomorrow dude._

Stan sighs in relief. Thank God.

Okay, so he’s picking up Kyle tomorrow morning. Nothing to stress over. They’ll just talk and catch up… just like old times. So why are his hands sweating? Does he need to clean out his car? What is he wearing tomorrow? Get it together Marsh.

Lost in thought, Stan jumps at the feeling of his phone starting to vibrate. Incoming call from…Kenny?

“Yo, what’s this I hear you're driving Broflovski to school tomorrow?” Kenny questions immediately after Stan picks up.

“What the hell?” Stan snorts. “We literally just made those plans. What are you, stalking me?”

“Not important.” Kenny interjects. “Count me in, I’m coming too.”

“What?” Stan’s eyebrow shoots up, “Dude I never drive you to school, what the hell?”

“You think I’m just gonna sit back while you and Kyle spend quality alone time together in your car? Absolutely fuckin’ not, I’m coming.”

“Tough shit. Your house is like, completely out of the way. I’m not picking you up.”

“Then I’ll walk to your house. Damn Marsh, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were up to something. Anything you wanna share?”

“Goodbye Kenny.” Stan grunts, going to hang up.

“See you bright and early babe.” He hears, right before the call disconnects.

Okay, looks like he’s picking up Kyle _and_ Kenny tomorrow morning.

***

Stan hears a knock on his front door at 6:55 the next morning. When he swings it open he sees Kenny, waiting on his front porch while holding two cups of coffee.

“Sup Marsh.” He says, sidestepping Stan and letting himself in.

“Did you bring me coffee?” Stan asks, confused. “I mean, you didn’t have to but I appreciate it I guess.”

Kenny snorts in response. “Uh…no. I got coffee for Kyle. Speaking of which, when are we picking him up?”

“That’s so random dude. Why in the fuck did you buy Kyle coffee?” Stan tilts his head to the side, staring at Kenny in confusion.

“Same reason you’re driving him to school,” Kenny’s eyebrow raises as he smirks, “brownie points. Duh.”

“Brownie points?”

“Listen Stanley, we can beat around the bush all day long. But at the end of the day, I’m trying to accomplish a goal here.”

“And that goal is…?” Stan trails off.

“Ya know, Kyle.” Kenny replies casually, sipping from one of the coffee cups.

“Kyle?”

“Kyle.” Kenny nods. “Or more specifically, getting into Kyle’s tight ass pants.”

Stan sighs. How can he feel this exhausted already? It’s barely 7 am.

“Oh my god.” Stan mumbles. “Get in the car.”

“Gladly.” Kenny sings, following Stan out to the driveway. When he goes to open the passenger side door, Stan slaps his hand on the window to stop him.

“Back seat.”

“Oh, come on dude.” Kenny whines. “I don’t wanna—”

“Back. Seat. You’re lucky I’m even letting you get in the car in the first place.”

“You’re grumpy in the morning Marsh.” Kenny glares, but slides in the back against his will.

When they pull up to Kyle’s house, Stan’s hands start to sweat. He can feel his heartbeat starting to pick up as he goes to text Kyle that he’s outside waiting. Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with him?

When Kyle finally emerges from his house, he looks tired. Wearing a green t-shirt, jacket, another pair of ripped jeans and sporting dark circles under his eyes, he makes his way towards Stan’s car. Even exhausted, Stan thinks Kyle still looks good. Like a sexy type of tired. Did he just use the word sexy to describe Kyle?

“What the fuck happened to you?” Kenny asks as Kyle plops himself into the passenger seat, yawning.

“Dude I’m so tired.” Kyle mumbles, rubbing his eyes. “My parents were up all night unpacking and moving shit around. I barely slept.”

“Well good news.” Kenny says, thrusting one of the coffee cups into Kyle’s hand. “Here’s something that might make your day a little easier.”

“You got me coffee? Oh my god, thanks dude!” A huge smile spreads across Kyle’s face despite his tired expression. “Your questions from yesterday seem a lot less random now.”

“Questions from yesterday?” Stan repeats, starting to back out of the driveway and head towards school.

“Yeah. Kenny was texting me last night asking a bunch of random shit.” Kyle replies, taking a sip of coffee and sighing deeply. “You are a lifesaver dude.”

“Anything for you, Broflovski.” Kenny winks.

“What kind of questions?” Stan interjects, wanting more details. How long has Kenny been texting Kyle for? Why in the hell was he so concerned?

“Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it Stanley.” Kenny says as he pats the top of Stan’s head from the back seat. Stan jerks away, annoyed.

“How are you driving me this crazy this early in the morning?” he hisses. Kyle chuckles.

“Speaking of, thanks again for driving me dude. I really cannot emphasize enough how much I appreciate it.”

“Sure. Anything for you Broflovski.” Stan winks, doing his best to copy Kenny verbatim. As Stan glances over at Kyle to gauge his reaction, he notices he’s staring.

Have Kyle’s eyes really always been that green, Stan wonders? Not only is Kyle staring, but wait… is Kyle blushing? Oh my god, is Stan blushing too?

“Marsh!” Kenny shouts from the back seat, getting Stan's attention. Stan’s eyes snap back to the road as he gasps and jerks the steering wheel to the left, away from the incoming telephone pole.

“Shit. Sorry.” He mumbles, still feeling Kyle’s eyes on his face. Calm down Marsh, focus.

"You good dude?" Kyle asks, concerned.

"Uh yeah..." Stan mumbles, avoiding eye contact for the better. Almost crashing into another pole probably isn't the best way to start off the week.

They drive the rest of the way to school in silence. Stan, too afraid to take his eyes off the road again, Kyle, half asleep in the passenger seat, and Kenny, occupied with something on his phone. When they pull into the parking lot, an odd feeling starts to wash over Stan. It's Kyle's first day back in a long time, and Stan knows he's going to be the talk of the school. People are going to want to talk to him, spend time with him, hang out with him. That's a good thing right? Fuck, so why does Stan have this weird feeling settling in his stomach?

Pushing it down and trying his best to ignore it, he grabs his backpack and starts to head into school with Kyle and Kenny at his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!! Sorry its been so long, I've had mad writers block. I hope everyone is staying healthy and safe in these super weird times. Now that I've got more free time on my hands, hopefully ill be able to update more often. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!! xx


	4. Chapter 4

After a lap around the building and a quick tour of the school, Kyle, Stan, and Kenny part ways. Kyle, mainly in honors and AP classes, only has one period that overlaps with Stan’s: lunch. Conveniently, this is the same lunch period as Kenny and Cartman as well. As much as Stan doesn’t want to admit it, he’s bummed that he doesn’t get to spend more time with Kyle throughout the day. Annoyed, Stan pushes this thought aside, looking forward to catching up with Kyle at lunch. After all, 30 minutes is better than nothing he guesses. But when lunch rolls around and Stan makes his way to the cafeteria, he’s greeted with an unfamiliar sight.

Sitting at his usual table is Kenny and Butters. Every time Stan sees them, he swears they sit closer and closer. He makes a mental note to ask Kenny about this later. Cartman, across from them, is already busy shoving his face with food. Nothing new there. But next to Cartman, Stan spots... wait, is that David? And next to David is... Red and Bebe? And somewhere among the sea of new faces, Stan recognizes Kyle, looking as confused as Stan feels. Appearing to be stuck in a conversation with Bebe, Kyle looks like he’d rather be anywhere else. What the fuck is going on? Annoyed again, Stan feels like this is going to be a reoccurring theme of the day.

Making his way over, Kenny is the first one to notice Stan’s arrival. “Sup Marsh? Come here often?”

Stan stares, confused as he looks around the table. Kenny simply chuckles in response. “What can I say,” he shrugs, “Broflovski’s a popular guy.”

“And how exactly do you feel about this?” Stan questions, thinking back to their conversation from earlier. He knows how he feels… fucking _annoyed_. Why are all these people here?

“It’s fine with me. Listen Stanley, it’s all about intuition. You gotta know when the time is right. Isn’t that right buttercup?” Kenny asks, nudging Butters and winking.

“Oh hamburgers...” Butters mumbles, his face turning red as he stares down at his food.

Stan makes a second mental note. He _definitely_ needs to ask Kenny about that one.

Turning his attention towards Kyle, Stan catches a snippet of the conversation he’s having with Bebe.

“It’s like _so_ crazy.” Bebe rambles, twirling her hair around her finger while batting her lashes at Kyle. “And you look totally different now compared to the last time I saw you. Like, California hot, ya know?”

Watching Bebe flirt is annoying, Stan thinks. Has Bebe’s face always been this annoying?

Kyle, seemingly oblivious to her flirting or simply just ignoring it, stares back in confusion. “Uh, yeah. Crazy...” 

“And it’s like your first day back in South Park! Oh my god, we totally have to hang out after school sometime. To like catch up and stuff.” Bebe does her best hair flip, causing Stan to unintentionally scoff out loud. Snapped out of the conversation, Kyle turns to see Stan. A lopsided grin spreads across his face.

“Hey dude! I almost thought you were gonna skip lunch.”

“Who, Marsh?” Cartman snorts between fistfuls of food, “Not likely.”

“You’re one to talk fatass.” Kyle rolls his eyes. “Here dude.” he says, making room for Stan to sit next to him. Bebe, clearly unhappy with the focus being shifted away from her, folds her arms and glares at Stan.

“Hey Stan, haven’t talked to you in a while. How’s Wendy?” She asks, tilting her head to the side. 

Stan shrugs, sitting down next to Kyle and starting to take food out of his bag. “I dunno. I don’t really talk to her that much anymore.”

“Oh that’s right, you two aren’t dating right now are you?” Bebe retorts, checking her nails as she speaks. “It’s like so hard to keep track sometimes. One week you’re broken up, the next you’re dating again and stuff.” 

“Right.” Stan replies, deadpan. He really doesn’t need this shit right now. Opting to ignore this comment, Stan turns to Kyle and asks “So dude, how’s your first day back going?”

“It’s been... uh… weird. To say the least.” Kyle rubs the back of his neck. Stan thinks he’s starting to notice a pattern here. “But everyone’s been super nice. So that’s good, I guess?”

“Of course everyone’s being nice you stupid Jew,” Cartman interrupts, now his turn to roll his eyes. “They’re all trying to gain the same shit.”

“Gain?” Kyle questions, raising an eyebrow.

“Just look at this hoe over here.” Cartman tilts his head, gesturing towards Bebe.

“Fuck off Cartman!” Bebe hisses back. “You’re still mad cause I wouldn’t suck your dick last year!”

“Whatever!” Cartman shouts, a little louder than intended, “I never wanted your nasty hoe mouth on my dick in the first place!”

“Oh my god.” Stan sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. At this point, Stan feels like everything’s going from annoying to frustrating, and fast. Could everyone please just shut the fuck up?

“Yeah right.” Bebe flips her hair again, turning her attention back to Kyle and ignoring Cartman as he continues to yell. Pulling out a piece of paper and a pen, she writes down a few numbers and folds the paper in half. Passing it to Kyle, she bats her lashes again as she says “Here Kyle. Text me sometime, ok? I _really_ think we need to like, reconnect.”

But before Kyle can answer, Stan stands up and says “Fuck this.” Leaving his lunch behind, he grabs his backpack and heads outside.

“Woah, looks like someone woke up with sand in their vagina today.” Cartman snickers watching Stan leave.

“Fuck off Cartman.” Kyle warns, grabbing his backpack and following Stan out. As he’s leaving, he can hear a faint “humph” come from Bebe.

Digging around his pockets, Stan hopes to find a cigarette or two. He really feels like he needs one right now and at this point, he doesn’t even care if he gets caught.

Ending up on the bleachers, Stan lights up a somewhat deformed cigarette and takes a deep breath. Why does he feel like he needs to smoke? He hasn’t smoked in a while. He also hasn’t felt this fucking angry in a while. Lost in thought, Stan doesn’t notice someone walking his way until they plop down right beside him. Surprised, Stan turns to see Kyle, sitting closer than he expected while staring at him with an expression Stan can’t quite gauge. Pity? He takes another drag from his cigarette as Kyle asks “Can I take a hit?”

“You smoke?”

Kyle shrugs. “I did a lot of shit in California. Smoking was one of them.”

Stan passes him the crumpled cigarette and watches as Kyle inhales deeply, eyes closed as if he’s meditating. When he opens them back up and exhales, Stan quickly averts his gaze. 

“These are minty.” Kyle notes. “It’s nice.”

Stan nods.

“So... you wanna talk about it?” Kyle prods. 

Stan simply shakes his head. “Not really.”

“Fair enough.” Kyle replies, passing back the cigarette. 

Stan takes another drag, feeling annoyed again. Annoyed with how he got here in the first place. Annoyed for reasons he doesn’t even understand. Automatically, he passes the cigarette back to Kyle.

Before he knows it, they fall into a rhythm of inhale, exhale, pass, until there’s nothing left to smoke. By the end of the cigarette, Stan is feeling calmer. Buzzing from the nicotine. More relaxed. Like things are back to normal and this is how it’s always been as he sits here next to Kyle, avoiding the rest of the world. Most importantly, no longer feeling annoyed. He never feels annoyed when he's around Kyle.

“You know, me and Wendy haven’t dated in like, months.” He mumbles.

“That so?”

Stan chuckles, “Yeah, douchebag. That’s so.”

“Is this about Wendy?” Kyle presses.

“Do you _think_ it’s about Wendy?” Stan retorts. 

“Fuck if I know.” Kyle says, flashing another lopsided smile. 

Stan’s staring again, hypnotized. Except this time, he doesn’t want to look away. Apparently neither does Kyle, turning his body to face Stan straight on. 

“I have a- I don’t know, a weird question.” Kyle stammers. Stan notices a faint shade of red spreading across his cheeks.

“Sure dude. What’s up?” Stan squares his body up to match Kyle’s.

“You said you haven’t dated Wendy in a while.” Kyle rubs the back of his neck, looking everywhere but at Stan. “During the time you guys weren’t dating, did you ever like- ah. Never mind.”

“Tell me.”

“It’s fucking stupid dude. Never mind.”

“Kyle.” Stan grabs his chin, forcing Kyle to look him in the eyes. “It’s not stupid. Nothing about you is stupid. Talk to me.”

Kyle blinks, and it’s here that Stan notices how close their faces have gotten. And how good Kyle smells. And how nice Kyle’s lips look. And how all of the blood in Stan’s body has suddenly rushed to his dick.

Fuck Kyle’s hot.

“It’s just that... lately... I’ve been wondering...”

Stan’s heart is beating fast, and he feels like he could throw up at any second. And even though his surprise boner caught him off guard, all he can think about right now is Kyle.

“About?”

“You.”

Stan gulps. “Oh. Well maybe I can hel-”

“What the fuck you guys?! You throwin’ a party up here without me?”

Jerking apart, Stan and Kyle sit up and scoot as far away from each other as possible without causing suspicion. Which obviously doesn’t work, as Kenny is standing next to the bleachers with his arms crossed and his head tilted to the side. Stan attempts to discretely hide his boner while Kyle appears so dazed, he looks like he doesn’t even recognize where he is.

“You were getting a little heated back there Marsh. You alright?” Kenny raises an eyebrow, a smirk spread across his face.

“Y-Yeah. I’m good. Thanks dude.” Stan can feel his face on fire, too afraid to even look at Kyle again.

“Anyway, lunch is almost over. I figured you two got fuckin’ lost so I came to get you. Ready to go back?”

Stan and Kyle nod, grabbing their stuff and following Kenny back into school. And as the three of them part ways for the second time that day and head to their next class, realization dawns on Stan that he’s got a lot to think about after school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking this story will wrap up soon within the next chapter or two. Thanks again for reading :)


	5. Chapter 5

Stan makes it about halfway through his next class before completely giving up on trying to pay attention. His mind can’t stop thinking about Kyle and what almost just happened on the bleachers. Stan replays it over and over again in his head, as his hands start to get sweaty and his heart starts beating faster. He remembers Kyle’s eyes, his hair, his lips. Stan’s holding his chin and they’re leaning in closer and the next thing he knows—oh shit. A wave of nausea comes over Stan as he bolts up out of his chair. Rushing out of the room, Stan barely makes it to the bathroom before throwing up in the closest stall.

Well fuck, that’s a new development.

After splashing some cold water on his face and gathering up his stuff from his locker, Stan decides that if he’s going to completely lose his shit, he might as well do it from the comfort of his own home. Ditching the rest of his classes, he heads to his car while sending Kyle a text that reads:

_hey dude, just wanted to give you a heads up i left school early. im not gonna be able to drive you home today, sorry_

He receives a text back within seconds:

_No problem dude, don’t worry about it. I hope everything’s okay?_

Me too, Stan thinks, suppressing a gag as another wave of nausea comes on.

Distracting himself by blasting music in his car as loudly as possible, Stan drives home and tries to think about anything other than Kyle. When he pulls into his driveway, he takes a few deep breaths and tries to calm his nerves. Knowing neither of his parents will be home yet, Stan makes it as far as the living room before collapsing on the couch and smothering his face into a pillow.

Okay Marsh, think. Concentrate. Why did you almost throw up twice at school? Why have you been acting so annoyed and agitated all day long? What the fuck is wrong with you?

Snapped out of his thoughts, Stan feels his phone vibrating in his pocket. Lifting his head from the pillow, he sees an incoming call from Kenny.

“What the fuck is up with you today?” Kenny questions immediately after he picks up, echoing Stan’s thoughts. “Are you okay? Butters said you almost threw up in the middle of class. Kyle texted me saying you went home early? Also, what in the fuck was going on with you during lun-”

“It’s nothing, I’m fine.” Stan says cutting Kenny off, feeling instantly agitated. “Thanks for calling to check in though.” he snaps.

“Woah, calm down there asshole. You sound cranky. Want me to come over and give you a big ol’ hug?”

“No.” Stan growls, teeth clenched.

“Tough shit, I was planning on ditching anyway. See ya soon dude.”

“Kenny I really don’t want-” but before he can finish his sentence, Kenny hangs up.

Burying his face back into the pillow, Stan lets out a muffled scream. He needs time to think. He doesn’t feel like being around other people right now. And of all people, he _really_ doesn’t want it to be Kenny. Kenny, who keeps showing up and butting in at the worst fucking times. An image of Kyle flashes through his mind. Kyle would be a better option. Stan doesn’t feel annoyed whenever he’s around Kyle. Now that he thinks about it, Stan is usually in a great mood whenever he’s around Kyle. Kyle makes him feel really happy… and occasionally really nervous for some reason. It’s not weird to feel happy when you’re around your super best friend, right?

It _is_ weird when you start getting random boners for them though.

Stan knows he can’t avoid thinking about it forever. Sure, Kyle’s hot, Stan can admit this. But it shouldn’t really matter because Stan doesn’t like guys…right?

Right?

After all, he used to date Wendy off and on. He most _definitely_ wasn’t into guys when he was dating Wendy. But as Stan starts to think back on his relationship with Wendy, realization starts to dawn on him slowly. How he used to get nervous around her and his hands would sweat. How his heart would always beat faster and faster. How he used to throw up whenever he talked to her- oh fuck.

Right on cue, Stan hears a knock on his front door. Swinging it open frantically, Stan blurts out “Am I gay?” as Kenny stands there with a look on his face that shows he’s clearly caught off-guard by this question.

“I don’t know,” Kenny answers, eyebrows raised high. “Are you?”

“I don’t know!” Stan almost screams back.

“Alright dude calm down.” Kenny puts his hands on Stan’s shoulders, guiding him towards the couch. As they both sit down, Kenny asks “Where is this coming from?”

“It’s just that every time I’m around Kyle I get sweaty and nervous and my heart starts pounding and I feel like I’m gonna barf and that’s how it used to be when I dated Wendy and I’m pretty sure he’s the reason my dick got hard earlier.” Stan rambles, rushing the words together.

“Uh,” Kenny stares, “That’s a lot to take in. Did you say Kyle gave you a boner?”

“ _That’s_ what you took away from all of what I just said?!” Stan looks at Kenny, bewildered.

Kenny shrugs. “It was just the most unexpected. Well, that and you screaming at me about being gay.”

“Holy shit. Kenny… am I gay?”

“I don’t know Stan, _are you_?”

“Fuck, dude. I don’t know. I like girls, and I’ve never felt like this around other guys before. But with Kyle, I don’t know. It’s different. I feel-” another wave of nausea washes over him. “I feel like I’m gonna fucking puke again.”

Kenny takes a few scoots back. “Wait, you’re telling me you don't get a raging hard on whenever you look at Cartman?"

Stan snorts, “Kenny I’m serious here.”

“Okay okay. So basically what you’re saying is… you _might_ be gay… but only gay for Kyle?”

“Might be gay. For Kyle.” Stan repeats in disbelief, his heartbeat already picking up and his hands starting to sweat again.

"Well maybe gay isn't the right word. Bi?" Kenny puts his hand on his chin, pretending to think. “If that's true…this does interrupt my ‘getting into Kyle’s tight ass pants’ plan. But I guess for you Stanley, I can back off.” He smirks.

“Back off? What, you’re just gonna move on?” Stan asks, skeptical but secretly pleased nonetheless.

“Sure,” Kenny shrugs, “I had a feeling this might happen. Besides, I’m sort of… occupied with someone else at the moment anyway.”

“Who, Butters?” Stan questions, catching Kenny off guard for a second time today.

Kenny’s eyes snap to Stan’s face. “ Maybe. Why? Did he say something to you?"

“Uh, no. I have eyes, asshole. I’d have to be completely oblivious to not notice how you two have been acting around each other lately.”

“Interesting..." Kenny taps his chin. "Could’ve fooled me. Ya know, with you being oblivious to the whole Kyle thing and all.”

“The whole Kyle thing.” Stan rolls his eyes, thinking back to his current situation. “Shit. Okay, so I _might_ be bi. Or gay for Kyle or something. Fuck. What happens now?”

“What do you want to happen now?”

“You know you’re really good at giving advice.” Stan glares, snapping at Kenny.

Kenny chuckles, raising his arms in defense. “Listen, I don't think I'm the person you should be asking for advice. Actually, call me crazy but I think you need to talk to _Kyle_ about this. The sooner the better. Like, oh I don't know, today after school?"

"You mean like now?" Stan asks with a raised eyebrow, checking his phone to see what time it is.

"Woah look at the time!" Kenny smiles, pulling out his phone as well. "And shit, I got a text from Butters. Guess that's my cue to leave. You got important Kyle stuff to deal with anyway." With a wink, Kenny slides his phone back into his pocket and heads for the front door.

"Wait!" Stan scrambles up off the couch, following him out. "What do I do next? What am I supposed to say?"

"You're smart Marsh, you'll figure it out." Kenny waves Stan's questions away, walking down the steps and heading down the street. "Hey and when you do, let me know how it goes."

"God dammit Kenny." Stan shouts. "We're not done talking about you and Butters, just so you know!"

"Yeah, sure, whatever. Good luck!" Stan hears Kenny call out before he's down the road and out of sight.

Stan takes a deep breath. Fuck it, Kenny's right. The sooner the better.

Grabbing his phone, Stan sends Kyle a text that reads:

_change of plans. is it cool if i pick you up after school actually? i kinda want to talk to you about something_

A few seconds later, Stan get's a reply:

_Sure dude, sounds good._

Stan's not sure how to read that, so he chooses to ignore it for now. He knows that he can sit here thinking for hours, but at the end of the day, Kenny's right. It won't accomplish anything. He needs to talk to Kyle. Grabbing his keys and suppressing the urge to vomit one last time, he heads back to school to pick up Kyle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this fic has survived to see one final chapter!! 
> 
> the next one will be the last one, once again thanks for reading! feedback is much appreciated :)


	6. Chapter 6

Stan focuses on taking deep breaths as he makes his way back to school and texts Kyle when he’s in the parking lot. Breathe Marsh. It’s just Kyle. You know... your best friend who gives you an occasional boner and makes you throw up sometimes. No big deal.

As Stan watches Kyle walk up to the car, he briefly considers backing out of the parking lot and flooring it full speed down the road, never to return again... but he figures that probably won’t work out in the long run.

When Kyle finally gets in the car and plops down next to Stan in the passenger seat, confusion is written all over his face. His eyebrow arches as he tilts his head to the side and asks, “You good dude?”

Stan nods while avoiding eye contact, figuring that he probably looks crazy to say the least as he fights with his inner dialogue which is telling him to run as far away as possible. Confrontation is overrated anyways right?

Ignoring his inner advice and opting to focus on the road instead, Stan’s auto pilot kicks in as he leaves the parking lot and makes his way to Stark's pond; the only place his mind can think of as a safe space to talk. Kyle, not sure how to make sense out of the current situation, begins to run his hands through his hair out of awkwardness. Each time he tries to break the silence he stops, not wanting to make Stan more stressed than he already appears to be.

When they finally get to Stark's pond, Stan continues to drive a bit further until they’re nestled in the middle of the woods, further away from the potential of strangers interrupting what Stan figures is sure to be a colossal shit show. Closing his eyes, he takes a few more deep breaths before turning himself to face Kyle.

“Hold on,” Kyle interrupts before Stan can say anything. Holding up his pointer finger and turning away, Kyle begins to rummage through his backpack. His hand comes up with a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, which he then passes to Stan. Grateful for the distraction, Stan pulls out a cigarette and lights it, watching as Kyle does the same. Catching himself staring as Kyle inhales, Stan averts his gaze and instead finds extreme interest in the pine trees right outside his window.

“So...” he hears Kyle say. “You wanted to talk about something?”

Sighing, Stan knows he can’t avoid this conversation forever. Turning back to Kyle, shock runs through him as he notices how close Kyle’s face is; much closer than it was a few seconds ago.

“Uh…” his mind goes blank. “Did you know Kenny low key has a thing for Butters?”

“Interesting,” Kyle takes another drag from his cigarette, eyes locked on Stan’s. Stan is staring again; he really can’t seem to help it. “You really drove me all the way out here to the middle of the woods to tell me that?”

“Not exactly.”

“Didn’t think so.” Kyle exhales, blowing smoke into Stan’s face.

Maintaining eye contact, Stan takes a few more hits from his cigarette while trying to form words in his brain. Which doesn’t seem to want to cooperate at the moment, primarily because Kyle is smoking, and Stan really enjoys watching Kyle smoke. Kyle’s fucking hot, and it’s distracting to say the least.

“This afternoon you said you’ve been wondering about me.” Stan says, thinking back. “What about me specifically?”

“Oh shit,” Kyle blushes, “I was hoping you forgot about that.”

“Trust me dude, I don’t think there’s any way I can forget about this afternoon.” Stan mumbles, causing Kyle’s blush to deepen.

“It’s nothing really.” Kyle says while finally breaking eye contact, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Kyle.”

“Stan.”

Staring daggers in his direction, Kyle knows Stan’s going to be too stubborn to let this go. With a frustrated sigh, Kyle takes one more hit from his cigarette before tossing it out the window. Stan follows suit.

“I missed you guys a lot while I was in California.” he starts. Stan nods, understanding the feeling. “I mean, I missed all of you guys, but like... I _really_ missed you Stan.”

“I totally get it dude.” Stan rushes to respond. “I missed you too... like _a lot_. I was so fucking happy when I found out you moved back I-” Hearing how eager he sounds, Stan stops talking and starts to blush instead.

“Right.” Kyle mumbles, face ablaze. “This might seem random but… the last time you and Wendy broke up. Did you- ah. Did you ever think about... I dunno... maybe dating someone else?”

“Huh?” Confused, Stan simply stares back, not knowing how to answer the question. Kyle lets out another frustrated sigh, unable to stall any longer.

“You know... like... maybe instead of dating another girl… have you ever thought about like, dating a guy… instead?”

“Oh…” Stan replies quietly, realization dawning on him. “Kyle… are you asking me if I’m into dudes?”

Looking everywhere but at Stan, Kyle’s face now matches the color of his hair. “I- I mean yeah. I guess... that’s kind of what I’m asking.”

At this moment Stan realizes things can go one of two ways. He has to choose, and it has to be now.

Nervous, Kyle starts to ramble. “It’s just... the way you’ve been acting around me the past few days, and with what happened this afternoon I just-”

Cutting him off, Stan cups Kyle’s face in his hands while crushing his lips against Kyle’s. Momentarily frozen due to shock, Kyle reacts by matching Stan’s enthusiasm as their tongues meet. Kyle tastes like smoke from his cigarette and it’s so overwhelming that Stan can’t seem to get enough, can’t seem to pull away even though his lungs suggest otherwise.

First to break the kiss, Kyle pulls away breathing heavily as he stares at Stan with wide eyes. Stan, matching Kyle’s breathing, is transfixed on Kyle’s face, hands still cupped to the sides. Did he just kiss Kyle? Fuck.

He wants to do it again.

“Dude.” Kyle says quietly, an expression on his face similar to the one from earlier when Stan and Kyle had gotten caught on the bleachers. “Did you just-”

But he doesn’t get a chance to finish his sentence as Stan goes in for another kiss, pulling Kyle towards him closer and closer until Kyle is essentially straddling Stan’s hips. Flush up against one another, it’s here that Stan notices not only is he hard, but so is Kyle. Instinct kicks in as Stan starts to rub against Kyle, up and down causing friction and making Kyle gasp, breaking their kiss once more.

With his mouth moving down to his neck, Stan’s hands find a secure place on Kyle’s hips as he sucks and kisses, not caring what marks he leaves behind. With his dick throbbing, he knows he won’t be able to last much longer. And judging by the sounds Kyle is making, Stan figures Kyle is probably feeling the same way.

“Fuck, Stan.” Kyle breathes, wrapping his fingers in Stan’s hair. “Ah, dude. I think I’m gonna cum.”

“Good.” Stan replies in between kisses, causing Kyle to moan softly.

Fighting his way through Kyle’s pants and boxers until he finds what he’s looking for, Stan wraps his hand around Kyle’s dick and pumps once, twice, three times before Kyle is cumming, Stan following right behind.

Slumped forward onto Stan’s chest, Kyle focuses on trying to calm his breathing while Stan tries to shake the feeling that he’s in some sort of wildly vivid sex dream. They sit there quietly, their breathing the only sound for the next few minutes until Kyle finally breaks the silence.

“Holy fucking shit dude.” he starts laughing.

“To answer your question,” Stan says with a smile on his face, still coming down from what just happened, “I’m not really into guys. But I’m so fucking into you, dude.”

“Cool.” Kyle replies, still chuckling. “In case you couldn’t tell, me too.”

“Cool.” Stan repeats, cupping Kyle’s face once again, leaning in for another kiss.

***

As it turned out, Stan didn’t have to tell Kenny how his talk with Kyle went after all; mainly because the next morning before school, Kenny caught the two of them making out in Stan’s car. And even though Kenny wouldn’t let it go for the rest of the day, it didn’t really bother Stan all that much- although he couldn’t say the same for Kyle. Nothing really seemed to bother Stan all that much anymore. For the first time in a long time Stan was happy; happier than he had ever been. All the pieces of the puzzle finally falling into place.

Game over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO sorry it took me this long to finish this fic. I was really struggling for a while there but I was determined to wrap this story up, so I hope this final chapter was worth the wait!
> 
> Thank you again for sticking with me and reading!! Until next time!


End file.
